Chapter 4: Playing Dirty Tricks Is Nothing but Despicable and Shameless

"Aunt Song, are you actually asking me to marry Ye Ruyue?" He Hongwen asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

"You and Yueyue have already done that; who else do you expect to marry if not her?" Mother Ye retorted, looking equally incredulous.

"The person I have been betrothed to since childhood is your biological daughter, Ye Siran. Besides, my father would never allow me to marry anyone else." He Hongwen spoke without hesitation. Marrying Ye Siran was a duty etched into his very bones. Though he often grumbled about breaking the engagement, in his heart, he had never considered marrying another woman.

"If your father won't agree, I will report you. I want to see if your parents are willing to let you go to jail. Besides, both Ranran and Yueyue are my daughters—what difference does it make who you marry?" Mother Ye threatened him with a thunderous voice. Deep down, she felt that neither of her daughters was worthy of the refined and honorable He Hongwen. However, she desperately wanted to be his mother-in-law; being related to the He family carried immense prestige, so she was determined to force him to marry Yueyue.

"It was your daughter who framed me! Report me if you want! I'd like to see who actually ends up in jail..." Before He Hongwen could finish, Mother Ye forcefully interrupted him. "Since it was Ranran who harmed you both, then you have all the more reason to marry Yueyue."

He Hongwen was left speechless. He turned away and quickly put on his clothes; he did not want to continue this conversation while naked.

A neighbor who had come to watch the commotion, unable to stand Mother Ye’s blatant favoritism toward her stepdaughter, asked sarcastically, "Song Chunhua, on what grounds are you so sure that Ye Siran framed them?"

"On the grounds that Ranran came out of my own belly. No one knows her better than I do."

"Song Chunhua, how can you have the gall to say such things? Don't you know what your daughter is worth?"

"I don't mean to be harsh, Song Chunhua, but your daughter simply doesn't have the capability to frame the shrewd second son of the He family and Ye Ruyue."

"Exactly! Siran is usually so timid; she wouldn't be able to pull off something so malicious." The woman who spoke had previously received help from Ye Siran.

"Humph! It was your son Weiguo who came out and told us to come to your house to catch rats, saying his older sister told him to call us."

"Isn't it obvious? Ye Ruyue deliberately called us here to be witnesses, just to force the He family's second son to marry her."

"What kind of witnesses? Tsk, tsk... You all heard it just now; the He boy said he wouldn't marry her."

"What nonsense are you all spouting? He will marry her whether he wants to or not. I'm going to find Director He right now." Mother Ye was burning with rage at the crowd's comments.

Just as Mother Ye turned to leave, a rhythmic thumping sound echoed against the floorboards: *thump... thump... thump...*

When the crowd had rushed into the room, Ye Ruyue had looked for her clothes, only to find them torn to shreds by He Hongwen. With so many people present, she was too embarrassed to stand up and grab a blanket, so she had been lying on the floor, exposed. She had never imagined that He Hongwen would refuse to marry her after pulling up his pants, and hearing everyone whisper that she had orchestrated this scheme made her blood boil. Her spineless stepmother was only focused on forcing Brother Hongwen to marry her and hadn't even thought to find her some clothes to wear. She was truly a complete fool! Frustrated, she could only slam her head against the floor in desperation.

"Yueyue, my poor daughter! What kind of karma is this!" Hearing the sound, Mother Ye quickly turned, grabbed a bedsheet from the bed, and wrapped it around Ye Ruyue. She then pointed a finger at He Hongwen and scolded, "He Hongwen, you heartless wretch! Are you trying to drive my Yueyue to her death?"

"Wuu... Mom, don't force Brother Hongwen... wuu... just let me die instead... wuu..."

"Yueyue, don't scare Mom. If anyone should die, it should be..." *That useless Siran.* Mother Ye ultimately didn't dare say those words in front of everyone.

"Mom, are you trying to say that I should be the one to die instead? Please, don't think like that. If you die, what will happen to Dad and my little brother?" Ye Siran said, her voice filled with sorrow. She was truly heartbroken; she knew her biological mother had meant that she was the one who should die.

In her past life, she and He Hongwen had been cornered in the room, and the moment her mother entered, she had pointed a finger at her and cursed her viciously. She had used the most hateful language imaginable, never once criticizing He Hongwen or demanding he marry her. In this life, the moment her mother entered the room, every word she uttered was aimed at forcing He Hongwen to marry Ye Ruyue.

"Ranran, tell everyone that it was you who caused your sister to be with Hongwen."

Ye Siran glanced indifferently at her biased mother, then squeezed out a few tears and looked at the crowd with a pitiful expression. "Aunts, is my mother trying to make me a scapegoat? Brother Hongwen is so capable, and my sister is so bright and clever. How could someone like me, who only knows how to wash clothes and cook, have the ability to harm them?"

"Ye Siran, don't you try to twist the facts here! I know it was you who harmed them!" Mother Ye shrieked, pointing at Ye Siran hysterically.

"Mom, whatever you say is fine by me," Ye Siran said, pretending to tremble with fear, bowing her head as if too terrified to speak.

Growing up, her mother had cursed her in every way imaginable, but in her past life, she had believed that arguments between family members were meaningless. They only hurt feelings, so she never fought back. Even when she suffered outside, she never argued loudly, preferring to hide and cry after others had left. She would cry while replaying the scene in her mind, wondering why she hadn't said this or that. But the next time, she still lacked the courage to confront anyone.

Having died once, she knew that arguing was indeed meaningless, but it felt incredibly good! Seeing her mother’s face turn the color of liver, she felt a sense of satisfaction. However, at this moment, she didn't want to ruin the image she had cultivated in everyone's eyes, so she didn't vent the long-pent-up resentment from her past life.

Though Ye Siran stayed silent, others spoke up for her. "Song Chunhua, I think the one twisting the facts is you!"

"Oh my, you usually bully your own daughter like this? I think this whole thing was Ye Ruyue’s plot to trap the He boy into marrying her."

"Yes, the sister is right. I've long said that this girl Ye Ruyue has a crooked mind."

"Wuu... I beg you all, stop talking nonsense, I don't want to live anymore..." Hearing the crowd get closer and closer to the truth, Ye Ruyue wailed in terror.

Seeing her stepdaughter on the verge of suicide, Mother Ye roared at the crowd, "Get out! Get out, all of you! You want to force my daughter to her death? We don't welcome you here!"

"You told me to get out, so I'm leaving." He Hongwen took one last look at Ye Siran—who had not looked at him once from start to finish—and walked away without looking back.

"Fine, go! Do you think we wanted to come to your house?" one woman said as she walked out, and the others followed.

"He Hongwen, stop right there! Don't think you can just walk away like this. No way! You must promise..." Mother Ye wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Father Ye.

"Chunhua, let Hongwen go home first." He glanced at his biological daughter, who was crying as if her heart were breaking, and then at his stepdaughter, who stood to the side with her head bowed. If his stepdaughter were truly capable of orchestrating such a flawless frame-up as his wife claimed, he would actually think more highly of her. Using petty tricks was despicable, but someone capable of playing a multi-layered game deserved to be called a mastermind. Did his stepdaughter really have that kind of talent?